new owner i need help fast

[jackson310]

so i just recently bought my first chameleon about 2 weeks ago and he hasnt eating for about a week already , he ate fine the first week and i dont know whats wrong ohh and his a jackson chameleon

his enclosure is 4ft tall 3ft wide and 2 ft deep its all screen

i handled him only one time for about 1 minute and thats it!!

i have a big ficus plant in there with alot of fake plants also

i spray him 3 times a day and i also have a misting system

i have a long tube reptisun 5.0 uvb and a 60 watt heat lamp

i have only fed him crickets and like 4 meal worms, i just ordered some dubia roaches and some butter worms and hope that does the trick

he also poops every 2 day so i know his pooping

and he drinks from the leaves


i had changed him to another cage for temporary because i had to work on his cage but now his back in and hasnt ate and his walking around his cage alot like if his trying to escape... somebody please help i dont know wat im doing wrong and i dont wanna loose him either from starvation

heres some pics i posted

 

[Thompson]

When was the last time he pooped? How old is he? Don't feed that many meal worms, only feed about 2 a month. Get more feeders to offer him, he could just be bored with what you've been giving him. A week without food isn't bad for a healthy adult chameleon, but if you have a baby he could be sick.

 

[jackson310]

When was the last time he pooped? How old is he? Don't feed that many meal worms, only feed about 2 a month. Get more feeders to offer him, he could just be bored with what you've been giving him. A week without food isn't bad for a healthy adult chameleon, but if you have a baby he could be sick.

his about 7 months old his about 8 inches from tip to tip maybe longer and he pooped yesterday i just found his poop floating in the water and i stopped feeding him meal worms when i found out they give impactions

 

[Thompson]

Ok, just try and get other feeders and offer those to him. Try dubia, silk worms, hornworm etc..

 

[jackson310]

Ok, just try and get other feeders and offer those to him. Try dubia, silk worms, hornworm etc..

well they should come tomarrow hopefully his still okay by then

 

[Elizadolots]

Just out of curiosity, what water was the poop floating in?

If he pooped yesterday, he's probably eaten in the last couple of days.

 

[Silkyslim]

Yeah standing water isn't something that goes hand in hand with a cham cage. The stagnent water is a breeding ground for bacteria if not cleaned often. If you let the water whatever container it is in sit for a few days perhaps the lil guy got sick from it?

Just my uneducated guess

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy Jackson310,

Tossed you a PM .

 

[jackson310]

Yeah standing water isn't something that goes hand in hand with a cham cage. The stagnent water is a breeding ground for bacteria if not cleaned often. If you let the water whatever container it is in sit for a few days perhaps the lil guy got sick from it?

Just my uneducated guess

its just a small plate where the water collects when it falls from the dripper but i dont think its that, because i clean the cage every week and throw the water away i just offered a cricket and he ate it but that was it, he just ate one

 

[Elizadolots]

hmmm....so, the dripper doesn't produce enough water to fill a "small plate" more than once a week?

My suggestion is that you get an actual bowl or cup and cover it with fabric netting (you can just rubber band the netting around the bowl or cup). That way, your water can be captured but there's no chance that your chameleon could go drink from contaminated water.

I'm not saying that's what happened, I'm just offering up a suggestion to avoid future problems.

How are you offering up the crickets?

Some chameleons will not eat in public.

 

[morpheon]

Eliza is doing a good job so far. However, i'd like to see a few more pictures of your chameleon, and if you could fill the "how to ask for help" form it would help us a lot!
https://www.chameleonforums.com/how-ask-help-66/

 

[Elizadolots]

Eliza is doing a good job so far

Oh, you with the flattery!!!!

Thank you.

 

[jackson310]

hmmm....so, the dripper doesn't produce enough water to fill a "small plate" more than once a week?

My suggestion is that you get an actual bowl or cup and cover it with fabric netting (you can just rubber band the netting around the bowl or cup). That way, your water can be captured but there's no chance that your chameleon could go drink from contaminated water.

I'm not saying that's what happened, I'm just offering up a suggestion to avoid future problems.

How are you offering up the crickets?

Some chameleons will not eat in public.

its a long small plate and he has water running all day.. every time i go in the cage i empty the water out ....i tried feeding in a cup but doesnt take it so i made one of those milk jug thing for the crickets could move alot more but still nothing sooo sometimes i give him crickets with the feeding tungs and he sometimes takes them.. maybe his shy to eat infront of me

 

[Elizadolots]

okay...

Realize that you said you emptied the "plate" once a week....

I stand by my suggestion. That "collection point" should not be accessible to the chameleon.

Do you let the crickets go in his cage?

 

[pssh]

Is it wildcaught? (or did you say something about him not being wildcaught and I'm just lame and forgot?) have you tried just letting the bugs free range in the cage?

 

[jackson310]

okay...

Realize that you said you emptied the "plate" once a week....

I stand by my suggestion. That "collection point" should not be accessible to the chameleon.

Do you let the crickets go in his cage?

okay ill put the towel rapped around the water thank u

 

[jackson310]

okay ill put the towel rapped around the water thank u

i believe he is wild cought i let the crickets go sometimes but ill just find them hiding on the corner of the cage

 

[pssh]

Try feeding some flying feeders! House flies (cultured, not caught) butterflies, moths, blue bottle flies, and try some grasshoppers. It may just want some variety, and bright green and/or flying bugs are hard to resist.

 

[KingJulien]

okay ill put the towel rapped around the water thank u

A towel would work a keeping the chameleon out of the water, but it would quickly become a bacterial breeding ground.

I have my drip above a plant. The water goes into the plant and the excess evaporates off the terracotta pot.

Experienced keepers: Is this a good solution for the drip water?

 

[Elizadolots]

I think it depends on your plant, your pot and how much your dripper drips. I have my dripper dripping onto a plant, but the plant is in a plastic pot so ultimately the water drips out of the plant. I have my cage over a plastic drawer so the water just goes through the bottom, into the drawer for easy emptying.

Instead of a towel, try nylon net. You can buy it for practically nothing at almost any store that has fabric. It won't absorb water, water passes through it, but the chameleon can't accidentally fall in and drown.